Shattered
by AWarOfWords
Summary: Buffy faces a trauma she's not sure she can overcome--she's been raped. The only person she feels safe with now is Spike. Can he help her get through this? Will this bring Spike and Buffy together? Spuffy all the way.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first Buffy fic and I have nowhere near the writing skills as the talented writers of Buffy. This takes place sometime after 'Smashed" in season 6. Obviously, I don't own any of the characters and such. I'm not sure how far I'm going to take this, I guess it depends on the feed back. **

* * *

"Buffy?!" Spike called out as he stepped into the Summer's house. "I know you're here, love, all the lights are . . . " he trailed off once he saw everybody sitting around in the living room.

Everyone but Buffy.

"Where's Buffy?" She didn't show up to patrol tonight." Genuine concern hid somewhere beneath the pretend irritated tone Spike asked in.

Everyone looked around nervously, avoiding any eye contact with Spike. It was painfully obvious they were keeping something from him.

Willow was the most obvious of all. She kept fidgeting in the armchair she sat in. Shifting her weight from side to side, twiddling her thumbs, and bouncing her eyes around the room like it was the first time she'd ever seen it.

Xander just stared blankly out the window, clenching his fists by his sides. Anya was resting her head on his shoulder, looking like everyone she had ever loved just died.

Giles, who had the entire couch to himself, sat at the end farther from Spike. He kept sipping on his tea throughout the silence. His face looked torn between anger and deep concern.

"What, have you all gone def then?" Spike pushed with real irritation this time. This whole 'nobody acknowledging his existence' was not going to float. After helping them out for all this time, he was apparently still treated like a leper. "Fine, you wont tell me then I'll find her myself." He through his arms up in frustration and made his way for the stairs.

"Wait!" Giles jumped up after Spike. "You can't go up there!"

"And why the bloody hell not?" Finally someone had recognized his presence, but the Watcher hadn't exactly handed over any information.

"Well . . . uhm . . . you see," Giles took off his glasses and started to clean them like he tended to do when he got nervous.

"I think what Giles is trying to say is that . . . uhm . . . you see . . . Buffy isn't feeling great tonight," Willow chimed in, like she was convincing herself as she went along. "She said that uhm . . . you should go patrol without her."

"You're lying," Spike pointed out, looking at everyone suspiciously now. He didn't want to let his mind make the connection, but it was evident that something was wrong with Buffy. He aggressively grabbed Giles by the shirt and pulled him right up against him. Glaring into the Watcher's eyes, Spike almost growled out, "What happened to the Slayer?!"

Sweat beads had already started forming on Giles's forehead. He knew Spike couldn't hurt him because of the chip in his head, but he also knew Spike would risk anything—including his brain exploding—for Buffy.

"W-Willow is partly right. You s-see, Buffy was, er, at the Bronze . . . and well . . . "Giles couldn't find the words to explain exactly what happened. All his training and years as a Watcher hadn't prepared him for something like this. Thankfully Willow jumped in the conversation to his rescue.

"I found her—Buffy—in the alley outside the Bronze . . . she was passed out on the ground . . . she looked so terrible . . ." Willow was getting lost in her memory of finding Buffy. She'd seen her best friend dead before, but even then she never looked as terrible as she did tonight. Willow's eyes were already starting to well up with tears.

".?!" Spike pushed Giles from himself and started charging towards Willow.

"She—she was drugged and uhm, she was . . . " like Giles, Willow was having trouble with words, too.

"And what?!" Spike had backed her up against the wall and towered over her.

"She was raped," Xander said through clenched teeth.

If Spike's heart was still beating it would have just stopped. He felt everything drain from his face and his hands impulsively went into fists, like Xander's.

"And nobody told me?!?!" Calm Spike had left the house, in his place was pissed and freaking out Spike.

"Well we thought you would, you know, uhm . . . do this." Willow admitted sheepishly.

"Of course I'd—Where is she?" Spike had had just about enough of this.

Willow, stricken with fear, just pointed up indicating that Buffy was upstairs.

Without a word Spike shoved away from Willow and practically ran to and up the stairs.

"Spike," Giles called up to him before he got to the top of the stairs. "She's still pretty rough and very uneasy with talking abou---"

"Then you all should be up there with her. Idiots."

* * *

While slowly opening the door, Spike knocked quietly, hoping he wouldn't startle Buffy. She was tucked beneath a mountain of blankets, way more than he'd ever seen her use, or anyone use for that matter. She sat up the minute he set foot into her room. Her face was painfully bruised and cut up, which was rare to see due to her slayer healing powers. Stains of mascara tears trailed down her dace. The top of her left shoulder peaked out of the covers and so did the deep purple handprint bruise.

Everything snapped inside of Spike. He wanted to track down who ever did this to _his _slayer and beat them to a bloody pulp, make them beg for death. But at the same time, he just wanted to wrap Buffy in his arms and hold her until it was all-better. She looked so fragile and scared; she never looked fragile and scared.

"Spike," Buffy whispered. She wasn't at all surprised that he'd come to see her. When Giles had brought her upstairs and tucked her in she tried to tell him to let Spike know, but she was too groggy to get the words out.

It would be a complete lie to say she wasn't happy he came to see her. It was undeniable that there was some sort of connection between the two. Buffy could fight it all she wanted, and she did, but deep down she knew something was there.

"Hey Buffy," the unease in Spike's face came through in his voice as well. He was still standing just inside her doorway, debating if this was really a good idea. He knew she needed someone, and he wanted to be that someone. But he wasn't so sure any more if she wanted him to be. "How are you feeling, love?"

"Could you close my door?" She didn't want to answer his question while anyone lingering in the hall could hear her. As far as her friends knew, she was coping with everything alright and just needed some sleep. Truthfully though, she felt miserable, the worst she'd ever felt in her life. But she couldn't let her friends know how weak and small she felt—that just wasn't an option. Something about Spike made him different though.

A little bit confused, Spike closed the door behind him and knelt down next to her bed. "So how are you feeling . . . really?"

"I got taken down by a human, Spike . . . " She couldn't even look at him when she talked. She felt so ashamed and helpless. "I don't even feel like myself." Tears were starting to collect in her eyes. "I feel like . . . like a Buffy shell." And then the water works started. They couldn't be held back any more, it was all just too much. She was the Slayer, she'd even died _twice_, these kinds of things weren't supposed to happen to her.

"You're not a 'Buffy shell' you're Buffy. The Slayer. All of her." He was kicking off his shoes and climbing into bed with her. That need to hold her just multiplied with every tear she let fall.

He pulled her in close to his body, wrapping his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. She snuggled into his side and rested her head on his chest, letting his shirt catch her tears.

"You listen to me now, love. This doesn't change who you are, it doesn't make you any less of a person. This wasn't a demon or a vampire or an apocalypse. There were no horns or slimy skin as a dead give away," that got a small laugh out of her. "But you'll get through this, just like you get through everything. You're the strongest women I've ever met Buffy . . . and I've been around a while."

"I know you're right . . . " She traced a line with her finger across his stomach to keep her mind from focusing too hard. "I just wish I didn't feel so . . . cold."

"Well between me," he gave her a little squeeze, "and all these blankets, I think we can fix that." He knew how heavy this situation was, he was still trying to wrap his mind around it, but he hoped maybe making Buffy laugh a little would help her start getting through this.

"Spike, can I ask you a favor?" She looked up at him with her big pouty eyes.

He looked down at her and knew that no matter what she asked, he'd do it for her. There was no way he could say 'no' to those eyes. Once again, he was loves bitch.

"Anything you want," he answered softly.

"Will you stay with me tonight?"

Spike laughed and rolled his eyes, "Love, there was no chance of you getting rid of me tonight."

For the first time since everything happened, Buffy smiled. She knew right then that she loved him. It kind of just hit her like a ton of bricks. But now wasn't the time to tell him, she didn't want this day to be associated with anything good.

She did want to show him that he made her feel . . . less cold. She cupped Spike's face in her hand and brought it down to hers. Inching up just a tiny bit, Buffy closed the distance between their lips.

It took a minute to register what was happening in Spike's head. She'd kissed him before; they'd even destroyed a house going farther than that. But this was different, it was sweet and intimate. There was no push or pressure to make it anything more than it was. Maybe it was just his imagination, but Spike could have sworn he felt his still heart beat.

Giles cracked open the door and couldn't believe what he saw. Buffy and Spike, he would have never guessed. Maybe this was a spell or she was delusional from the lingering drugs in her system.


	2. Chapter 2

**So I've got a few ideas for at least two more chapters, but that all depends on if you guys want to read more. I apologize for chapter one being so sloppy, I write everything by hand first, cause I'm old school like that, and then type them up and sometimes I don't catch my typos or grammatical mistakes. I apologize in advance for any I make from now on; I'll try to be better ****. Hope you guys enjoy! I love the feedback! **

* * *

Giles opened the door all the way and cleared his throat, loudly, so the couple would notice him.

"Oh, Giles . . . hi," Buffy said, blushing a little. She still looked pretty shattered but it was prevalent that a hint of life was slowly working its way into her.

"Yes, uhm, hi," Giles repeated, trying to overcome the awkwardness that had settled around them. He walked around and sat on the side of her bed that Spike wasn't on. "How are you feeling, Buffy?"

Buffy smiled and roller her eyes, trying to put on her best 'strong' face. "I'm fine, Giles," she said, hoping Spike wouldn't say anything to reveal her secret. "It happened. It's over. I'm dealing."

"Right. Good then," Giles responded, not completely convinced by her act, but he didn't want to pry and make her feel worse. "Well then, we thought that perhaps, we would have a better chance of catching this guy if we . . . knew what he looked like."

"He wasn't some kind of demon, Giles. We can't just track him down, research his motives, kill him and have everything be good again," Buffy blurted out, on the very of losing her cool.

"Maybe not, but killing him does have a nice ring to it," Spike commented. He was completely on board with that plan; he knew it'd make him feel better.

"All I remember is having a drink at the Bronze," she caught the slightly disapproving look from Giles, "it was just a Sprite I swear. And then everything started getting all . . . whooshy, so I went outside and I heard someone else come out behind me. But he, uhm . . ." She had to take a second to choke back some threatening tears. "He was tall-ish, I think. Dark hair, maybe. That's all I really know. I never got a good look at him . . ." That was possibly the worst part for Buffy, not being able to identify her attacker. At least if she knew she could track him down and kick some ass.

"Is it possible that you remember anyone sitting around you? Or who served you that drink?" Giles asked. Truthfully, he was a bit worried about asking Buffy all of this so soon after the occurrence, but Willow had made the point that it'd be better to ask before Buffy had fully processed everything than after. "Maybe if we could form a list of suspects, we'd stand a better chance."

Buffy reached across Spike and grabbed a notebook and pen off her nightstand. She flipped open to a blank page and wrote down at least 20 names of people she knew that were sitting at the bar. 2 descriptions of guys she didn't know—one with a weird scar down his face, and the other really buff guy with an interesting portrait tattoo on his arm. And of course, the name of the bartender.

She ripped out the page and handed it to Giles. "Willow should know most of them, she and I either went to school with them or met them at the same time. And ask her if there's a spell that could un-whoosh my memory."

"You sure that's a good idea, love?" Spike asked, concerned for Buffy's current mental state. There was no way she had gotten over it in a matter of hours. No possible way.

"Spike could be right, Buffy," Giles added, surprised by his own words. "Perhaps we should leave that as a lost resort."

"No. Tell Willow to find the spell. I'm gonna find this guy and make him pay. I'm gonna find him and make sure he can _never_ do this to any one else, ever again." It's true that he, whoever he was, wasn't a demon or her typical big bad. But something clicked in her mind and told her that maybe if she treated the situation like it was, like she knew how, then it would heal like all the other bad stuff did.

"Right then, if you're sure," Giles agreed. Buffy had on her 'stubborn' face, it was obvious fighting would be pointless. Giles had gotten up to leave, but before he was completely gone he had just one more question. "By any chance are you still feeling some lingering effects of the drugs?"

"Not really no, why?" Buffy asked.

"Just making sure. I'll get this list to Willow and we'll get started. Let us know if you need anything." Giles closed the door behind him, still extremely confused about why Buffy and Spike were kissing.

* * *

Buffy climbed out of bed and started searching her closet for a clean shirt and jeans. She had a plan for getting through this now, and that made her feel more alive again. Part of that plan was going out and killing some real demons to stop the battle inside her head.

"Buffy, what are you doing?" Spike was completely lost in a sea of confusion. 10 minutes ago Buffy looked like a lost little puppy, stranded out in the rain. Now, from what he guessed, she jumped onto the "Pretend it didn't happen" train. Not exactly the way to handle it.

"I'm getting ready to go patrolling," she said while yanking a sweater over her head. "Close your eyes, I'm changing pants."

"I've seen you in mush less, pet," Spike laughed.

Buffy rolled her eyes and turned away from him. Once her pants were on the ground she heard Spike move from the bed.

"Spike, this isn't the time for—" when she turned around she was caught off guard by Spike staring at her legs. Not a lusty kind of look, but more of a 'holy crap are you okay?' look. "What's wrong?"

"You really put up a fight didn't you?" he commented, pointing at the deep, black, purple and blue bruises that made up her legs.

"It's just a bruise or two. My legs still work fine, see," she moved her legs a little in an attempt to show him she was just fine. "So are you coming with me to patrol?"

"Buffy, that's not just a bruise or two," he said in concern. Realistically, there was probably, all together only a small section of her body that was unbruised. "Listen love," he put his hands on her shoulders, feeling her warmth travel into him. "You don't have to be brave in front of me, you know that. You'll still be the strongest person I've ever known if you crawl back under those covers and sleep away the rest of the night."

"I know," Buffy replied, pulling her jeans all the way up. "But if I crawl back into that bed, then there's a chance I might not be able to get back out." She put her hand over his and held back some new tears. "I have to be brave for _me_. The fear hasn't completely settled in yet. Spike, I can't let it set in."

"Alright," he responded in almost a whisper. He wiped away a few of her escaped tears and kissed her forehead. "I guess we better hear up then."


	3. Chapter 3

The night had been slow patrol wise. It was already nearing 3:30 a.m., Buffy and Spike had been out for over an hour now and had come across nothing. They were starting their second lap around the cemetery and it still looked completely vampire free. Except for Spike of course.

_Buffy. . . _a haunting voice echoed through the wind.

"What?" Buffy said while spinning around to look at Spike.

"What do you mean 'what'?" Spike replied, confused by the slayer's question.

"Never mind," she just shook off what she assumed was just the wind playing tricks with her. "I thought I heard something, guess I was wrong."

"If you say so." Spike shrugged and sped up his pace a little so he was next to Buffy instead of slightly tailing behind her. Things were unusually slow tonight and he was tempted to talking Buffy into calling it a night. But she seemed so determined to get out and keep things normal; it probably wasn't a good idea to head home before dusting a few baddies.

_I can see you . . ._ the same voice surrounded Buffy. She spun around immediately, scanning the area around her. Nothing. Not even a soft breeze to rattle the trees a little. She did hear something this time, though. She wasn't crazy, somebody was around.

But when Buffy looked up at Spike he seemed unphased. How could he not hear that?

"You alright, love?" He asked, wondering why she stopped.

"I think—"

_Who's that you're with, sweetheart?_

"Did you hear that?" Buffy asked, pulling the stake out of her jacket pocket and stood in a ready to fight stance.

"Hear what?" Spike was completely lost. The only sounds around them were them talking.

_You going to try and fight me again? It was so cute to watch you struggle before._

"How can you not hear that?" She was completely spooked now. Where the hell was this guy hiding? And why couldn't Spike hear him? Who was this voice? Spooked was starting to turn into panicking.

"What is it you hear?" He scanned the area around them and saw nothing, no life at all still.

"It's some voice," Buffy said, moving closer to Spike for a bit of protection. "He—he says he can see me . . ."

"Buffy, nobody is around, I would know. I can't hear or see anyone for miles." His concern for her was elevating to levels he was completely unaware of. Why was she hearing this voice and he wasn't? Giles had mentioned drugs in her system earlier; it could be possible she was still feeling effects? He couldn't smell anything different in her though.

_I'm a little insulted you don't remember me, sweetheart._ The voice sent shivers up and down her spine. It sounded familiar a little, but she couldn't put a finger on it.

"Who are you?" Buffy called out into the open air, hoping the voice would give her a name or just shut up. Spike was looking at her like she'd completely lost it, and maybe she had. Maybe she was, it's no doubt she'd experienced more horror than anyone ever should in his or her lives. That could leave some kind of mental scar.

_I was a little disappointed when the Slayer didn't put up as much of a fight as I'd expected. Maybe next time I'll leave you conscious. _

A cold quiver of fear rippled through her entire body.

"Spike," her voice shook with panic. "We need to get out of here. Now!"

"What's going on? Buffy what's wrong?" He could feel the fear radiating off of her.

"He's here, Spike. He's in my head!" She started shaking, dropping her stake and locking her body in place. She couldn't move, couldn't blink, and couldn't really breathe. He couldn't be here; Spike would have noticed him by now. But he was here; he was in her mind somehow.

"_Who_ is here?" Spike turned Buffy to face him. She felt like ice to his skin, and there was no hint of color left in her face.

"He is here," she pointed to the bruise on her shoulder without breaking eye contact with Spike. "_He_ is in my head, Spike!" Tears were streaming down her face, but she wasn't really aware of them falling. She just felt so cold and terrified. She couldn't force herself to move, or blink, or look away from Spike.

_You can't escape me, sweetheart! _The voice laughed diabolically. _I'll always be able to find you!_

"Spike, make it stop!" She covered her ears with her hands, desperate to get the voice out of her head. Painfully, his laughs echoed through her head like nails on a chock board.

Not completely knowing what to do, Spike scooped Buffy up in his arms and started to race back to her house. The look on her face was agonizing when he looked down at her. Whatever was happening was torturing her from the inside out. Whatever it was, Spike mentally vowed to himself that he would fix it.

"It's gonna be alright, love. We're almost home," he hid the panic in his own voice as he reassured her, holding her firmly against his body as he ran.

_You can run, but you can't hide!_ The voice taunted over and over, fading out a little bit each time until it finally stopped.

Buffy clutched onto Spike's shirt, crying almost hysterically into it. She was slightly aware that he'd picked her up and that they were running, but she couldn't really focus in on anything but the need for _his_ voice to leave her head. Leave her alone.

* * *

"Giles!" Spike yelled as he violently swung the door open, Buffy still in his arms. He nearly tripped into the living room with her; he was in that much of a hurry.

"What is it Spi---What happened?!?!" Giles felt an immediate surge of fatherly panic and protectiveness overcome him when he saw Buffy in such a bad state.

Spike tried resting her down on the couch, but she wouldn't let go of him, so he ended up sitting with her on the couch—she locked onto him and his arms locked around her.

"He's in my head, Giles!" Buffy sobbed.

"What do you mean?" Giles asked, just as confused as Spike was.

"She's got a fever," Spike said in a panic as he felt her clammy forehead.

"Go get her a damp washrag," Giles nodded to Spike but never let his glance stray from Buffy.

But Buffy still wouldn't let Spike get up. "No!" She shouted when he tried to move away. She needed him with her, needed him to keep holding her. True or not, Buffy convinced herself that Spike was the only thing keeping the voice away now. He was her safety against something she couldn't fight.

"Shh, love, I'm not going anywhere," Spike cooed to her as he kissed the top of her head. He ran his hand up and down her arm, hoping to get some warmth other than the fever into her.

"Willow, get in here!" Giles demanded.

Willow came running in from the kitchen, startled by the intensity of Giles' voice. "What's going on—Buffy!"

"Get a damp washrag, now! She's got a fever," Giles wasn't even aware of his yelling. All he knew was that Buffy was in some kind of trouble. All that mattered in the world right now was finding out what was wrong and fixing it. "Do you have any idea what she's talking about?" He asked Spike.

"He's in my head, Giles! The guy who _raped_ me!" Terror rang out in her voice and through Giles' ears.

He couldn't understand how that could happen unless she was just conjuring up the voice in her head. "Did you hear it too, Spike?"

Spike just shook his head. "All I know is we were out patrolling one minute, and then this happened."

"What did it say, Buffy?" Giles asked gently.

"That he could see me, and that he'd find me. And something about a 'next' time," she told him as she tried to stop her crying. The voice was gone, for now and she was safe in Spike's arms, surrounded by people who cared about her in the house.

"Could it have been a demon? Playing with her mind, maybe?" Willow suggested as she rushed into the room with Buffy's washrag and a blanket too.

"Anything is possible I suppose. See if you can find anything. Wake up everyone and get them to help." Giles said in a much more kind way than before.

"We're on it," Willow said firmly. "Don't worry Buffy, we're gonna fix this."

"Thanks, Will," Buffy whispered. She'd stopped crying and shaking now, and managed to release her death grip on Spike's shirt. But she still wouldn't let him leave her side; she still needed him there.

Giles wrapped the blanket around Buffy's shoulders and handed the washcloth to Spike to put on her forehead.

"Is there anything I can get you? Tea maybe?" Giles suggested, feeling like he needed to do something more for her.

"Tea would be nice," Buffy answered in a small, childlike voice.

"I'll go make some," Giles started to head towards the kitchen, but turned back to Buffy first. "You're safe here. We're not going to let anything happen to you." She gave him a little nod and he left for the kitchen.

Buffy felt Spike moving beside her like he was trying to get away or something.

"What are you doing?" She asked, feeling a new wave of panic on the horizon.

"Trying to close the curtains so you don't end up cuddling with a big pile of dust," Spike chuckled slightly.

"Oh," she said, letting go of his so he could close the curtains. She felt kind of foolish, clinging to him like a little kid and all. But he was the only thing that was making her feel warm and helping her calm down and get a grip on things again.

"That's better," he said as he plopped back down on the couch and pulled Buffy right back into his arms. She nestled herself against him once they found a comfortable way to lay entwined on the couch. He made sure she was completely wrapped up in the blanket, but she insisted that he be under it too.

"I'm sorry," Buffy whispered.

"For what?" Spike couldn't imagine what in the world she could need to apologize for.

"For being such a big baby," she admitted sheepishly.

"Nobody said you were being a baby," Spike replied almost defensively.

"I feel like one."

"Well you're not and that's all there is to it." He stroked her hair gently; trying to do anything he could to ease her pain.

"Promise?" She asked, looking up at him with her tear-filled eyes.

"Of course, love."

She smiled to herself and closed her eyes, hoping for a dreamless sleep to quickly wash over her.

"Here's your—" Giles came into the room, holding a cup of tea, but quickly quieted himself when he saw Spike hold a finger up to his lips and point to a sleeping Buffy.

* * *

Giles walked into Joyce's old room, Willow's current room, where the entire gang was assembled—including someone he hadn't expected to find.

"Angel?" He questioned, wondering if his glasses were some how distorting his vision.

"How is she?" Angel questioned, stepping forward towards Giles, revealing how completely tortured with worry he was.

"How . . . when did you get here?"

"I accidentally called him when I was using Buffy's phone to call you earlier, when I found Buffy in the ally," Willow admitted as she flipped through pages of an old, tattered book.

"Xander let me in the backdoor when he was sitting out there about an hour ago. I guess you didn't see me come in," Angel finished quickly, clearly still waiting for an update on Buffy.

"Alright, then. Buffy's all right for the time. Spike is downstairs with her right now, she's sleeping," Giles informed them all. "Have we found anything out yet?"

"Spike?!" Angel repeated, completely astonished that Giles would even consider it safe to leave Spike alone with Buffy. "She's _alone_ with _Spike?!"_

"Relax, Angel," Giles reassured him. "A lot has changed since we saw you last. Spike wont hurt her."

"How can you be so sure?" Angel couldn't think of any reason Spike wouldn't hurt her; the Spike he knew _lived_ to kill slayers.

"Well to start off, he's pretty much completely in love with her," Dawn said with a little giggle. She'd be sitting on the floor with three or four books spread out around her the whole time. Nobody had wanted to wake her up and fill her in initially, but her fake cry worked on Willow and broke her down.

"What?!?!" Angel couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was already eyeing the door, ready to charge downstairs at any second.

"As much as I'd love to fill you in on everything you've missed, Angel, Buffy needs us to find out what's going on. So unless you're going to help, I suggest you leave immediately." Giles already felt on edge and ready to snap, as much as he might have liked Angel, he had no time for 20 questions. All he cared about was helping Buffy.

Angel just nodded, grabbed a book, and returned back to his corner of the room.

"Right, so what have we found?" Giles questioned.

"Anya and I know most of the guys on Buffy's list already. They're all regulars at the Bronze, so we're gonna drop by tomorrow night," Xander informed Giles.

"And I think I found a spell that will help Buffy see through the drug induced fog in her memories," Willow reported.

"Good, good. I think we should wait till Buffy feels better to see if she still wants to do the spell though," Giles said, thinking out loud.

"Right, 0-of course. I'd need supplies from the magic shop anyway."

"And the demon? Any leads on that?" Giles asked, hoping desperately that they'd found something that he wasn't able to think of.

There was a long span of silence, it could have just been a minute but it felt like eternity.

"I think I found something!!!" Dawn exclaimed, holding the book she was reading up in the air.


	4. Chapter 4

Angel tiptoed down the stairs the moment everyone had fallen asleep researching. He pretended to have dozed off in the corner so that nobody would question him. Normally sneaking around with people he cared so much about wasn't an option, but the idea that Spike and Buffy were alone together downstairs was just tormenting him. No matter what anyone had said about Spike changing, Angel couldn't trust him.

_'Or maybe I'm just jealous because I know that can't be me down there with her'_ he thought to himself.

He saw them sleeping together, completely wrapped up in each other's arms, when he came into the living room. He wanted to rip off Spike's head just for touching Buffy, but from the looks of it he wasn't hurting her. Yet.

The plan was to attempt waking only Buffy up.

"Buffy," Angel whispered, tapping her unbruised shoulder lightly.

She must have already started to wake up before he came in because Angel's little act brought her right out of her slumber.

When she opened her eyes she blankly stared up into Angel's face, not completely believing he was really there. She rubbed her eyes a few times before finally admitting to herself he was really there.

"Angel?" She whispered, carefully wiggling out of Spike's arms. "What are you doing here?"

"Can we talk?" he asked and pointed to the kitchen.

Buffy nodded, checked to see if Spike was still sleeping and then walked into the kitchen with Angel.

What she didn't know was that Spike had been awake since Angel's big, clunky shoes walked into the living room. As much as he was dying to get up and follow them into the kitchen, he managed to restrain himself to just eavesdropping until the right moment.

"How are you?" Angel asked once they were in the kitchen. She looking terrible, bruised everywhere and her eyes were bloodshot from crying. He half wondered if some of those bruises or tears were from Spike.

"I'm alright . . . considering," Buffy answered, avoiding eye contact with him. She was trying to keep herself from being too happy to see him, they both knew he was just going to have to leave soon.

"So . . . Spike?" Angel started, the jealousy clearly present in his voice.

"Angel," Buffy sighed.

"Are you guys . . . together?" He didn't really want to know that answer.

"Is this how it's gonna be from now on? You're just going to show up and go all jealous on me whenever I have a boyfriend?" She really didn't want to be having this conversation now. Or ever really. She loved Angel, she always would and it kills her inside to have to see him hurting. But she accepted a while ago that they couldn't be together, and she thought he had too.

"So you guys are together then?" He didn't bother hiding the disappointment in his voice.

"I don't know, Angel. Maybe," she didn't want to hurt him or seem annoyed with him, that was never her goal in life, but she was still king of shaken up by last night and kind of cranky from just waking up.

"Do you love him?" Angel was just digging himself into a big hole of hurt now. He wanted Buffy to be happy, but with Spike?

"I think so, maybe." Buffy was feeling a bit squeamish now. This was one of those conversations that should never happen with an ex that was her first love. "So, uhm, looks like bad weather, huh?" Not her smoothest transition, but at least an effort was made.

"Yeah, looks like a pretty big storm coming," he commented while glancing at the window. Huge storm clouds, completely black, were settling in and blocking all the light that had arisen from the sun. "He doesn't have a soul, Buffy!" Angel exclaimed, unable to let the topic drop.

"Shh!" Buffy pointed to the living room, afraid Angel might have woken Spike.

"Sorry, but he doesn't have a soul, Buffy," Angel repeated in a whisper.

"And yet he still loves me," she didn't mean for that to be such a slap in the face, but jealous-Angel was starting to piss her off.

"Buf---" the rest of his sentence was completely drowned out by a clap of thunder so powerful it shook the entire house.

Spike took that as his cue to announce he was awake. He bounced off the couch and jogged into the kitchen. He knew it was probably pushing his limits a bit with Buffy, but instead of announcing himself, he wrapped his arms around Buffy's waist from behind.

"Morning, love. Gave me a bit of a scare when you weren't next to me when I woke up." From what he could tell, Buffy looked a lot happier to see him than Angel. In the most polite voice he could summon, Spike looked at acknowledged Angel. "Angel, fancy seeing you here."

"I could say the same to you," Angel wasn't playing the fake politeness game. When he looked at Spike, he glared. And when he spoke to Spike there was obvious hostility in his voice.

"Now now, mate. Play nice," Spike laughed.

"I'll play nice when you get your hands off—"

"Angel!" Buffy stepped into the conversation finally.

"He started it," Angel said blankly.

"Did not! I was trying to be nice, thank you!" Spike shot back at him.

"Ugh! What are we, in third grade?" Buffy threw her arms up in frustration.

_Good morning, sweetheart_.

"No," Buffy whispered in terror, feeling her stomach drop.

"Buffy, love, you alright?" Spike asked as he felt her body start shaking against his.

"What's going on?" Angel asked, unaware of the voices she'd heard last night.

_Did you miss me?_ The voice laughed, rattling every inch of Buffy's body.

"Buffy?" Spike turned her around so he could look into her eyes. The color was gone from her face again, and her eyes were swimming in terror. He knew exactly what was wrong.

"Angel go get Giles," Spike ordered without looking away from Buffy.

"Why? What's going on?" Angel asked, nearing complete panic.

"Go get Giles, NOW!" Spike yelled and finally Angel ran up stairs.

"Buffy listen to me, it's gonna be okay. I'm not going to let anything hurt you, alright?" He waited until she nodded and then pulled her close against him and wrapped her in his arms.

_He can't protect you if he's not around_, the voice taunted.

* * *

"And are you sure it was the same voice?" Giles asked one last time.

"Have you not been listening?! Yes, she said it was the same voice!" Spike answered for Buffy. He was getting extremely irritated with the watcher's 20 questions.

Giles, Xander, Anya, Dawn, Buffy and Spike were all seated in the living room now. Buffy laid across the couch with her head resting in Spike's lap. Everyone else sat across from them in chairs.

"We think we have a lead then," Anya said. "There's a torture demon I've run into a few times throughout my life. What doesn't fit though is that he typically physically tortures his victims by taking the body of their biggest fear."

"But it's the closest we've found," Giles added.

"It's possible he's changed his methods though. Demons do that. They get bored with the same old thing," Anya optimistically said.

"So how do I kill it?" Buffy asked flatly. Whatever this was, torture demon or something else, it was time for it to die. Buffy wasn't exactly enjoying being the damsel in distress and that's exactly what this thing was turning her into.

"Well, you see, that's the problem," Giles muttered as he took off his glasses to polish them.

"What do you mean, _problem_?" Spike asked.

"Usually one would just kill the form that the demon took on," Anya informed them. "But since we can't slice up Buffy's brain . . . "

"Willow and Angel are at the magic shop now getting some supplies for a spell to prevent the demon from reaching you in here," Giles said.

"And what about the spell to fix my memory? Did she find one?" Buffy asked, hoping for a yes.

"I don't think that's the best idea, Buffy," Giles stated with concern.

"Giles, if I can find out who . . . attacked me, maybe I can stop the fear, which would cut off the demon's hold on my mind."

_Or you could just meet me in the ally where I left you, tonight._

"Uuuughh, no!" Buffy cried out, covering her eyes with her hands.

"What? What did it say?" Spike asked in his panicked voice.

"To meet him," Buffy said with pain laced in her voice.

"Where?"

"The ally Willow found me," Buffy answered, trying to focus on Spike's hand running through her hair instead of the voice.

"Then we meet him, and fight him!" Spike insisted.

"I'm not so sure we should put Buffy in that position," Giles said, shooting down Spike's idea.

"Giles, call Willow. Tell her to get the stuff for my memory spell. Tell her to hurry. We're gonna meet whatever demon this is tonight, and I'm going to take care of my other problem. Tonight," Buffy firmly asserted.

"Are you sure?" Giles was afraid she might be taking on too much, especially with this demon playing with her mind. The last thing on earth he wanted was for Buffy to end up hurt.

"Make the call." She honestly couldn't tell if this was the right thing to do or not. Maybe it was just a trap, or maybe the demon really would be there. It was a chance she was going to have to take. Just her. She wouldn't lead her friends into a trap. Somehow she'd have to break away from her friends in the ally so they wouldn't get hurt.

"You're not gonna shake me, babe," Spike whispered in Buffy's ear. Her face gave away her plan, but apparently he was the only one to see it. There was no way he would let her take this thing on on her own.

Buffy smiled up at Spike, slightly grateful that he knew what she was thinking.

_Guess I'll see you later tonight then, sweetheart._ His laugh echoed in her head until it finally faded away.


	5. Chapter 5

"You sure about this now, Buffy?" Giles asked as Willow finished setting up for the spell.

Everyone sat in a circle, Willow, Xander, Anya, Giles, Spike, Angel, Amy, and even Tara joined in—because she saw it as a good cause. Buffy sat awkwardly between Spike and Angel, feeling like a buffer for the tension between them.

"I'm positive, Giles," Buffy assured him. It was a good thing he wasn't a mind reader though, because Buffy was freaking out in her head. She didn't want to relive the whole experience. Willow had assured her that she could pull out of it any time, but Buffy still had her doubts.

"We're ready," Willow announced.

Everyone joined hands and Buffy felt Spike give her hand a small squeeze. She smiled half-heartedly and then closed her eyes and listened to Willow chant some Latin phrase.

Just when Buffy was about to give up, thinking this wasn't going to work, she felt a jolt of electricity go through her and then everything went black.

* * *

"_Your friend looks like she's having a good time," the bartender said to Buffy when he slid her drink down the bar._

_ Buffy watched herself turn around and talk to the bartender. It was weird, Buffy felt like she was watching a movie of herself, like she was a ghost almost. She got up close enough to the conversation to hear everything and get a good look at faces._

_ "She does, doesn't she?" Buffy turned around from watching Willow dancing to smile at the bartender. _

_ "Let me know if you need anything else," the bartender said politely and then left to help someone else._

_ "Thanks," Buffy muttered and took a sip of her drink. She looked much more glum than 3 seconds ago when she was smiling at the bartender._

_ "You here to drown your sorrows, too?" The man with the portrait tattoo on his arm leaned over and asked her. His voice didn't match the one in her head though. It was much deeper and huskier—like he'd been a life long chain smoker. The voice in Buffy's head was more enchanting and smooth._

_ "Something like that," Buffy sighed._

_ "Boy troubles?" The guy asked, clearly a little buzzed, but he seemed like a genuinely friendly guy just looking for a conversation._

_ "Part of it," she chuckled, not wanting to go into her worry of coming back to life wrong. There was no way this guy would understand that. "What's your story?" _

_ "See this women?" He pointed to the tattoo of a woman who looked kind of like a pinup model on his arm. Buffy completely turned to face him so she could get a good look at it. "Loved her since the first day of 6__th__ grade, that was 17 years ago. And she loved me too, until about 7 hours ago when I found a note from her telling me she'd run off with my best friend's brother."_

_ That's when Buffy noticed the guy with the scar on his face scoot down a few seats and sprinkle something in her drink. The only time she'd taken her eyes off her drink, go figure._

_ "I'm so sorry," she responded sympathetically. Then she grabbed the tainted drink and started sipping away._

_ The two kept up a conversation for the better part of 30 minutes. She'd almost completely finished her drink and he'd downed at least 5 shots._

_ "Well, I should get going while I can still walk. Good luck," the tattoo guy said, gave her a smile and stumbled off._

_ A sick expression overcame Buffy's face; she figured that's about when the 'whoosh' started. She paid the bartender and tried to get up but fell into the scar guy's arms._

_ "Looks like you've had a bit to much to drink," the guy laughed, not exactly a perfect voice match though. _

_ "I'm just not feeling good," Buffy answered nervously, trying to gain some focus and balance._

_ "Let me help you out then." The put an arm around her waist to help hold her up and the two made their way to the door._

_ "I can make it from here thanks," Buffy slurred once they got to the backdoor._

_ "'Fraid that's not an option, Sweetheart," the guy laughed, tightening his grip around here. He kicked open the door, which couldn't really be heard over the loud music, and pushed her out._

_ "What the—" Buffy crashed into the ground of the alley. _

_ From an undrugged and safe standpoint, Buffy got a clear look at the guy. He was extremely tall, like 7 foot tall. And huge muscles, everywhere. He could probably shade a family picnic from the sun in the middle of July. The really weird thing about him though was his scar. It was blue! Not the vein blue or normalish blue, but vibrant, neon glowing blue!_

"He's not human!" Buffy jolted up from wherever she was laying in her house, broken free from her ghost-like trip down memory lane.

Everyone was hovered around her, staring down at her like she'd just climbed out of her own grave . . . again. She looked to here sides and saw that she was still in her living room, but she was sprawled out on the floor instead of part of a circle.

"Wha—what happened? Why are you all staring at me?" Buffy asked, a little freaked out.

"You went all blank in-in the face and then you fell over," Willow explained, obviously still a little terrified that she'd done something wrong and hurt her friend. "We all got pretty scared that you were, ya know, gone . . . again."

"I'm okay, Will," Buffy said with a smile. She actually did feel okay, a little grossed out, but her mind was a bit at ease now.

"What did you mean, _he's not human_?" Giles asked.

"I think he was some sort of demon," Buffy told them. "He had this neon blue scar thing on his face. Totally not a human thing." As she told them the reality of what happened settled in on her. She'd been raped by a demon. "Ugh, gross!" Her skin felt itchy and crawly now. There was a huge difference between demon and vampire; vampires were at least human once, but most demons were---slimy or scaly and just . . . gross. "Oh god, I gotta shower." She jumped up to her feet but felt extremely lightheaded from the spell and almost fell back down.

"Careful, love," Spike said as he caught her.

* * *

While Buffy was upstairs in the shower the gang split up downstairs. Giles, Anya, Xander, and Tara were in the kitchen researching and strategizing attacks on the demon. Angel, Spike and Willow sat awkwardly in the living room.

"Well at least you can help fight it, Spike," Willow laughed awkwardly, trying to lighten the tension in the room.

"That's right, I heard you're just short of de-fanged," Angel laughed.

"Well at least I can still be happy," Spike shot back at him.

"Is that the best you've got? At least I've got a real soul, not some government chip in my head." Angel knew he had that over Spike, and he always would.

"Speaking of that soul of yours, I heard you and Dru shacked up together in L.A., how's that going for ya?" Spike said, not out of jealousy, because he'd long ago gotten over Drusilla, but because he knew that Dru's real plan was to try and rid Angel of his soul again.

"Angel?!" Willow exclaimed, repulsed by the idea of Angel with that nut case Drusilla.

"I'm trying to teach her how to live like me," Angel explained to Willow.

"Not what I heard, mate. Last I heard, she was plotting a way to snatch that beloved soul from you and bring back the _evil_ Angel," Spike laughed, leaning back in the couch. Judging by the look on Angel's face, Spike guessed that he already knew that but was just trying to deny it. Dru would never succeed, she wasn't Buffy after all, but Spike still found it peculiar that Angel would let her hang around knowing her motives.

Buffy heard the whole conversation from the top of the stairs. She couldn't believe it, Angel and Drusilla? No, it couldn't be. She didn't expect Angel to be alone forever out in L.A., but she certainly didn't expect to hear that he'd paired up with Dru again. Why was she always the last to know about Angel stuff any way?!

"Hey, keep it to yourself, okay? I don't want Buffy worrying," she heard Angel whisper to both Willow and Spike.

"Ugh," Buffy groaned as she finally got up enough anger to march down the stairs.

"Looks like you left the cat out of the back yourself, mate," Spike shook his head and watched Buffy storm downstairs and then out the front door, slamming it behind her.

* * *

Buffy paced the porch for at least 20 minutes, steaming with anger. The wooden chair was lucky Spike walked out when he did because Buffy was a few seconds away from punching a hole in it.

"How could you not tell me?!" Buffy yelled, grabbing Spike by the shirt.

"Relax, Dru can't do Angel any harm," Spike answered, much more calm then she was.

"It's dangerous and I should have been told!" She shoved Spike off the porch and onto the lawn. She went to grab him again but he was just a bit faster.

Spike pulled her down onto the ground with him and got on top of her, straddling her waist and pinning her arms to the ground.

"What was I supposed to say, 'you remember Dru, oh yeah she's in L.A. with Angel, just thought I'd give you a bloody heads up.' Have you _seen_ your face when someone mentions his name? It gets all twisted and sad. It's heartbreaking, Buffy." Spike admitted, half ashamed of himself for telling her all this. "I wasn't going to put you through that over nothing." He said the last part and let go of Buffy, who stopped struggling half way through his speech.

Spike got up and started to walk back to the house when Buffy shoved him off into the shadows of the trees. She followed him and shoved him again up against a tree.

"You still should have told me," Buffy glared at him and then kissed him. Not like earlier when he came to see her and not like when they destroyed the house. There was a happy medium of both situations in the kiss. It was soft and loving, but hungry at the same time.

Spike wrapped his arms around her, pulling Buffy tight up against him but that's when she broke the kiss.

"Thanks for caring though," she whispered sincerely to him.

"Yeah, well, don't tell anyone. It'll ruin my rep." They both laughed and leaned in to kiss again, but something stopped them.

_I'm waiting; _the voice screamed inside her head, causing her to double over and almost fall to the ground.

"I'm gonna personally strange that bloody demon," Spike growled as he tried to help Buffy stand again.

"We've gotta go," Buffy said to Spike, pain vibrant in her voice.


	6. Chapter 6

Buffy and Spike were greeted by an anxious Giles and Willow in the doorway.

"Are you both alright? We look outside and couldn't see either of you anywhere?" Giles immediately asked, playing the worried parental card.

"We're fine. Did you find anything matching the demon?" Buffy said quickly, attempting not to take her anger at Angel out on anyone else.

"It's the torture demon alright, fits the description perfectly," Giles confirmed.

"I'm sorry, love. Those torture demons are right ugly blokes," Spike commented sympathetically.

"Awesome," Buffy said sarcastically, feeling repulsed by her own skin. "So how do we kill it?"

"Pretty much like you'd kill a vampire. A stake or something through the heart will do it," Anya said casually as she walked by and into the living room.

"Uh, yes, except its heart is pretty centered in its chest and a bit lower down," Giles added.

"Great, I'm gonna grab some weapons and then we can go," Buffy said, ready to end this nightmare. She gave a quick smile to Spike, Giles, and Willow and then started up the stairs.

"Buffy," Angel jumped up and gingerly grabbed Buffy's hand.

"Not now," Buffy said, recoiling from him.

"Let me just explain, please," he begged as he followed her up the stairs.

"What's going on there?" Giles asked Willow and Spike.

"Angel and Drusilla are living together in L.A.," Willow said disapprovingly.

"What? Has he gone evil again?" Giles said in a panic.

"Not yet," Spike dryly added. Without saying anything he took off up the stairs to follow Angel and Buffy. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that if Angel was alone with Buffy he'd try to swoon her all over again.

Upstairs Angel followed Buffy into her room to try and explain himself.

"Would you just hear me out, Buffy?" Angel pleaded as he closed the door behind him.

"I'm sure you've got a _great_ explanation all mapped out, Angel. And one day maybe I'll have time to hear it, but right now I'm a little busy," Buffy angrily said to Angel as she threw weapons into a bag on her bed.

"But it's not what it sounded like I promise," Angel continued to push.

"You're _living_ with Drusilla, what part am I missing?" She stopped packing to defiantly glare into Angel's eyes. "There's a zillion people in L.A. and you pick Drusilla? The girl who wants more than anything for your soul to take a hike!"

"And you and Spike are so much better?" Angel shot back before he realized what he was saying.

"Uuugh! So not the point!" She turned back around to finish packing her weapons bag but Angel spun her around to face him again instead.

"When I got that call that you were . . . gone, I didn't know what to do with myself. I couldn't get you off my mind. And then Dru came along and asked for my help and I thought maybe –"

"That _maybe_ you could help her or maybe she'd get what she wanted and it wouldn't really matter. Well it would have mattered, just because I was dead doesn't mean you could just give up."

"Why are you making this such a big deal, Buffy? I'm okay, my soul is still here. No harm done," Angel said hoping that Buffy would calm down and see a little reason.

"Big deal?" She couldn't believe he had the nerve to ask that. "I don't know about you, but I don't like having to _kill_ my exes. Especially not twice." Buffy broke his grip on her and went back to packing.

"You're not thinking clearly," Angel sighed.

"That's why I said we should talk later," Buffy admitted, still extremely angry though.

"Fine." Angel left and Spike walked in. He'd been waiting outside the door the whole time.

"You alright, love?" Spike asked as he walked through the door.

"Never. Better," Buffy answered sarcastically as she struggled with the zipper on her bag.

Spike walked over and zipped up the stubborn bag for her. He saw in her face that she was hurting. Angry, sad, betrayed, heartbroken all over again. It was written as plain as night. He knew Angel would do this to her, he always did whether he meant it or not. If Buffy wouldn't be so pissed off and sad, Spike would stake the guy himself.

"You wanna hit me?" Spike asked, half joking half serious.

"No," Buffy quickly answered. She was trying to seem like the hard ass who wouldn't let a stupid fight with an ex bug her so much. But that wall dissolved in seconds. "Kind of," she admitted glumly as she flopped down onto her bed.

"I figured as much," he said, sitting down next to her.

"I know he's gonna be fine," Buffy said, thinking out loud. "So why am I so mad at him?"

"Because you love him," Spike said in a whisper, feeling his own heart breaking as he said it.

"No, Spike . . . its not like that," Buffy tried to explain. She sat up and laced her fingers with his, hoping to cheer him up. It was painful hearing the sadness in his voice, heartbreaking even. It snapped her right out of her angry mood. "He was a long time ago, I'm not _in _love with him any more. That time passed, I'm over it."

"Don't worry about it, pet," Spike said with a convincing 'everything is alright' voice. "I know my place: convenient."

"Did you really believe that?!" Buffy snapped right back into angry mode. She knew she'd been harsh with him back in the abandoned, destroyed house but she never thought he actually bought the denial 'this meant nothing' act.

"You bloody well screamed it at me? What am I suppose to believe?" Spike fired back at her, getting swept into the heat of the argument.

"I don't know! Not that! You're a lot stupider than I thought if you believe you're just convenient, Spike." Buffy got off the bed and paced her room furiously. Spike stepped in front of her and held her a little less than arms distance away.

"Then what am I do you?" He asked, feeling hopeful that the answer would be something he'd longed for.

"I don't know, Spike," she sighed and stroked the side of his face with her hand. "But you're definitely something."

"I think I can live with that . . . for now." Spike smiled and when Buffy didn't say anything in response, he took that as his cue to kiss her.

"Sorry to break up the argum---" Xander's jaw almost hit the floor when he walked into Buffy's room and saw Spike and Buffy locked in each other's arms passionately making out. "Spike!" Xander yelled and grabbed Spike's arm, giving a strong tug to rip Spike's mouth from Buffy's.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?" Spike growled as he took his arm back from Xander.

"I should ask you the same thing! Taking advantage of Buffy like that, you should be disgusted with yourself!"

"Xander," Buffy said, trying to defend herself and Spike.

"No Buffy, it's okay. I'm not gonna let this creep move in on you like that." Xander gave Spike the death glare and braced himself for a fight. A short-lived fight most likely, because Spike couldn't hit him without getting a jolt of pain in his brain.

"You should watch who you're calling a creep, mate." Spike towered over Xander, furious that he'd been ripped away from Buffy, again.

"What are you gonna do, hit me?" Xander taunted him.

"Xander, stop! It's okay, Spike wasn't taking advantage of me," Buffy said as she stepped in-between the guys.

"You mean you wanted to—Is this another spell? Did Willow cast another spell like before?" Xander asked in complete confusion.

"Is it really that hard to accept the Slayer and I together?" Spike asked, wrapping his arms around Buffy.

"Yes, as a matter a fact it is," Xander said with a dazed look in his eyes.

"It's not a spell, Xander," Buffy assured him. She couldn't believe she was actually going to admit she was with Spike to someone. Never in a million years did she think this would happen. But never, never will anyone find out about the other night in the house. Buffy vowed to take that to the grave with her.

"Can you just let me believe it's a spell then?" Xander asked desperately. He really didn't want to believe that Buffy chose to be with Captain Peroxide of her own free will, even if it was true.

"Fine, it's a spell," Buffy said for Xander's behalf.

"Thank you," Xander sighed. "Giles said we're all ready downstairs."

"Great, let's go," Buffy said to them both.

* * *

"You sure this is it, Will?" Xander asked.

The group had been waiting in the alley for close to 10 minutes and so far it was demon free. Buffy's head was pleasantly silent, too.

"Completely. That's the back door right there," Willow pointed to the rusting metal door, "I used to help Oz load up their equipment out here."

"This is it for sure, I remember it," Buffy added in. She already had a knife out and in hand, ready to strike at any moment.

"Maybe he won't show," Anya shrugged, "torture demons are notorious for being flakey."

_Over here, sweetheart_. Buffy spun around to look behind her, but nothing was there but the dark night.

"What is it, love?" Spike asked, turning around as well to see if he could find anything.

_Wrong way, over here!_ Buffy spun back around but all she saw were her friends.

"He's here," Buffy said in a low, fierce voice.

_Still wrong! Over h-e-r-e!_ Buffy looked to her left but saw no one.

"Ugh! Show yourself!" Buffy called out, frustrated with this stupid dance.

She felt him take shape behind her but didn't say anything.

"Whatever you want, sweetheart," the demon chuckled behind her.

Before he had the chance to spin her around to face him, she jabbed her knife into his gut and made sure it went all the way in.

"Oh . . . no . . . Slayer," he groaned in pain. "You missed!" He said viciously, ripped the knife from his gut and tossed it aside. "Now, let's have us a nice little—"

He was cut off but Spike's knife cutting off his head. Spike quickly grabbed Buffy and wrapped her in his arms. They all waiting for the demon body to fall to the ground lifelessly, but that wasn't the case.

In place of where his human form head once was, a slimy, horned, and neon blue head grew back. His whole face was now the blue Buffy had said his scar was. Other than that and the four small horns on his forehead he had a pretty human face. A face that was stringy with slime.

"That was rude," the demon growled. "I wasn't looking for a fight just yet!"

"Then what _do_ you want?" Buffy commanded more than asked. "Because I came here looking for a fight."

"Feisty little one isn't she?" The demon laughed. "Relax little Slayer, you'll get your fight, but it wont be with me."

"Damien?" Anya directed towards the demon in a completely startled voice.

"Anyanka? Word on the street was that you died!" The demon, Damien exclaimed happily.

"You raped Buffy?"Anya asked in disbelief.

"Nooooooooo, gross!" He shook with disgust, "no offense Slayer, but human's aren't my type at all!"

"But I saw you, I _know_ it was you. You drugged me and shoved me out here!" Buffy yelled, hating the idea that he was toying with her.

"He was actually doing me a favor," a dark voice came from the shadows.

"Vampire," both Angel and Spike growled.

"I'm afraid our friend Damien here owed me quite a lot of money from a poker game that was not in his favor," the lurking vampire explained, still hidden in the shadows.

"You gonna show yourself or would you rather I just dusted you in the dark?" Buffy threatened.

"That wont be necessary," he said as he stepped into the light. He was fairly tall, about the same height as Angel. He had shoulder length chestnut hair that matched his eyes. He wore all black, shirt, pants, and leather jacket.

"Emerald?" Angel questioned, afraid his eyes were failing him.

"Angelus?"

"Angel actually," Angel corrected.

"Oh, what a bummer," Emerald said nonchalantly.

"You _know_ him?" Buffy asked Angel in disgust.

"We use to cause quite a lot of trouble back in the day," Emerald laughed, stepping closer and closer to Buffy. "Your job is done, Damien. You can go." With that, Damien disappeared into a cloud of blue smoke.

"Why?" Buffy demanded, referring to the rape. She pulled her stake out of her jacket pocket and got ready to end his days.

"My friend Drusilla ask me to take you out of the game, and you looked like fun," the vampire shrugged. "I saw you two," he pointed to Buffy and Spike, "and decided I wanted in on all the . . . fun."

"Shut up!" Buffy warned. She didn't need her and Spike's sex life revealed like this, or at all.

"Ohhh, they don't know do they?" He found it tickling that he was able to strike a cord so easily.

Buffy moved in for her first hit when he had his head turned to her friends, but had already felt it coming. Effortlessly he stopped her punch, grabbed her shoulder and pulled her so close to him that there was almost no space between their lips.

"We could always go again, y'know," he breathed onto her lips. "Maybe you could even be conscious this time."

"Never," Buffy spat at him and kicked the side of his knee. He crumbled to the ground but not before thrusting Buffy painfully into the closest brick wall.

Spike jumped in the fight then. Trading punch for punch with Emerald. They were almost perfect matches in strength and stamina. Spike had him slammed up against a wall, ready to stake him but he rolled out of the way.

"This is between me and the slayer!" Emerald screamed just as Angel's fist connected with his jaw. He went stumbling to the side right into the area where Buffy waited for him.

"And now this fight is over!" She kneed him in the ribs, punched him with all the power and sent him sailing into the wall, breaking bricks around him. "This will teach you to mess with the Slayer." She drove the stake straight threw his heart before he had a chance to gasp for another breath.

Buffy sighed with relief and started to sag against the wall until Spike walked over and caught her. She felt like she'd just stopped her own personal apocalypse, but she still didn't feel completely like herself yet. The vampire was dead, the guy who raped her was gone, but she could still feel him on her skin. _I guess I just have to deal with forgetting now_ she thought to herself.

"How are you feeling?" Spike whispered to her as they all started to walk back to her house.

"Need sleep," she yawned, feeling the weight of the day hit her. She completely shut her mind down; the thoughts of today would just have to wait until tomorrow to bombard her. Right now all she thought was _walking bad, sleep good_.

"Jump on," Spike said, squatting down a little bit so Buffy could jump on his back. She did with a grateful smile on her face.

"Thanks," she whispered and kissed his neck softly before resting her head on his.

"So what did that Emerald mean when he said he saw you two having fun?" Willow asked cluelessly.

"Buffy and Spike are under a spell that makes them make out a lot," Xander said like it was completely normal.

What?!" Angel, Anya, Giles, and Willow exclaimed.

"We'll explain tomorrow," Spike said, pointing to the sleeping Buffy on his back.

"Right . . . " Giles said uneasily. "So if Drusilla sent that pair after Buffy, do you think it's possible she'll be sending more?"

"I think you could count on it," Spike answered dryly.

"Did you know about this Angel?" Xander asked accusingly. He'd been filled in on Angel's current living situation and didn't trust it at all.

"Of course I didn't!" Angel was offended by just the thought of that. He'd never let anything or anyone hurt Buffy if he could stop it. Even if she was with Spike right now.

"Didn't think you would, Angel. But we should try to find out what her next plan is," Giles said firmly but tiredly as well.

"In the morning," Buffy mumbled. The rest of the group agreed.

* * *

**So I'm going to leave it up to you guys. I could**

**A ) end the story with a nice tie-up in probably the next chapter.**

**OR**

**B ) I could further go into the Drusilla story line (which I already have some ideas for).**

**The choice is yours =P.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I think its pretty much been decided that as long as you guys keep up with the feedback, I'll keep writing. My mind's pretty twisted, I'm positive I'll keep it interesting. And there will be plenty of Spuffy-goodness to come, I promise. **

**I just wanted to say thank you to all of you for all the amazing feedback. It seems like the more I know you guys love reading this, the more inspired I am to write more and get the updates done fast. So thank you all ****!**

* * *

As much as Buffy begged for sleep, her mind wouldn't grant her plea. Every time she closed her eyes she was haunted by Emerald's face, followed by the memory of what he'd done to her.

She knew she was safe from him now. He was nothing more than a bit of dust drifting in the wind thanks to her very own stake. But sadly she couldn't stake the memory of him raping her.

Even with Spike sleeping there with her, his arms holding her loosely as he slept couldn't shake the memory. She stroked his arm softly and mindlessly for hours it seemed, waiting patiently for sleep to consume her.

It never came though. She assumed it was around 4 a.m. when she crawled out of bed and made her way downstairs. The cool night air chilling her bare legs made her rethink her choice of a long flannel shirt that hid her shorts completely. Going back to change would risk waking Spike and making him worry so she decided against it.

Reluctantly Buffy flipped on the kitchen lights as she entered. Quietly as she could, she tiptoed around the kitchen to get herself a glass of water and an apple. It must have been a day or so since she remembered having anything to eat really. Maybe with some food in her stomach she'd be able to sleep, at least she hoped so. The past two days seemed like a lifetime, maybe longer. She just wanted to sleep and forget what happened to her and move on. Surely some apocalypse would be on its way soon to help her forget, Tuesday was always just a couple days away after all.

Spike trudged into the kitchen still partially asleep and only partially dressed, wearing nothing but his black jeans. He woke up not long after Buffy left, feeling her warmth missing, and followed her downstairs worried she wasn't okay.

"Couldn't sleep?" Spike yawned as he opened the fridge before quickly realizing there wouldn't be blood in it like his.

"What gave it again?" Buffy tiredly laughed.

"I figured you'd be exhausted after that fight tonight," Spike pointed out as he sat on the bar stool next to her.

"I am," Buffy sighed.

"Then what's the matter, love?" Spike slid his hand into her on the counter and stroked the back of her soft hand.

"Its . . . its nothing," Buffy lied. She knew she could tell Spike anything but this just made her feel like she was weak, and that wasn't something she wanted anyone to know.

"Come on now pet, we aren't keeping secrets now are we?"

"I don't really want to get into now. Talking about it would make it more present in my head, ya know? And I'd actually like to sleep at some point," Buffy explained.

"Well then," Spike smirked as he walked behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and stroked her arms softly. "How about I help you fall asleep, and you tell me in the morning?" He whispered in her ear.

"How do you plan on doing that?" She asked just as he playfully nipped at the base of her neck sending chills all the way down her spine. "Here? With everyone in the house?" She whispered, unable to grip her full voice.

"You've got a bedroom," he said, turning her around so he was standing in-between her legs. "Which I'm pretty certain has a door with a working lock on it." He didn't give her a chance to say anything back though. He trapped her lips with his, kissing her with a hunger and fire she immediately returned.

Buffy wrapped her arms around his neck as he picked her up by her legs and put them around his waist. They kissed passionately as Spike carefully maneuvered through the kitchen and to the base of the stairs. There he reluctantly broke the kiss so he could see his way up the stairs quietly. Buffy went to work kissing and biting his neck, increasing his need for her even more. The second he got to the top of the stairs their mouths connected again with an urgent desire for each other.

As they passed Willow's room however, Buffy pulled away from the kiss because she heard voices coming from the room.

"Did you hear that?" she whispered to him.

"Voices from Willow's room, she could be talking to someone. Not our business," Spike muttered between kisses on Buffy's neck.

"Was that Giles?" Buffy whispered, completely weirded out and trying to focus on the voices but Spike was making it insanely hard to think at all.

"I thought she was swinging the other way now, but whatever tickles their fancy," Spike shrugged off. He nibbled on the perfect spot of Buffy's neck and she let out a little moan. There were so many things he'd rather be doing than eavesdropping on whatever was going on with Giles and Willow. "Wait," he stopped when he heard a third voice. "Was that Xander?"

There was a bit of a pause, Spike put Buffy down from their embrace, and they both listened closer to the door to see what they could hear.

"And Anya?" Buffy kept listening, as did Spike.

"And Angel? Gross! I knew you guys were all close but," Spike made a disgusted face.

Buffy punched him softly but with still enough power to push him back a tiny bit. "Not everyone is trying to do each other in this house."

"Sorry if that's where my mind is, but I think you should understand, love." He drifted his hand up and down Buffy's torso so softly it was almost like he commanded the air to do it. Buffy grabbed his hand, laced her fingers with his and held it by her side. He was distracting her from eavesdropping.

"They're talking about us!" Spike whispered like he was insulted. He'd heard Angel, who was the loudest quiet voice in the room, mention both of their names.

Buffy sighed, trying not to feel betrayed until she knew if this secret meeting was really secret or not, and opened the door.

"Morning guys," She greeted in an obviously fake cheery voice. "Did you get lost trying to find my room?"

"Buffy! No, no we just . . . uhm . . . we didn't you know, want to . . . interrupt," Willow said awkwardly, fidgeting on the bed.

"You did anyway," Spike muttered quietly to himself.

"That's what knocking is for," she informed them, letting her tone of voice show them all she was irritated to be left out.

"We're sorry, Buffy," Giles apologized from his chair in one of the corners of the room. "You've had a long few days, we thought it would be best for you to get some sleep."

"Well I couldn't sleep, so fill me in." Buffy sat down on the floor and pulled Spike down with her.

"Fill you in?" Giles questioned, not following her thought train.

"On the big bad, obviously something unnatural must be going on if you guys are having a meeting so late at night," Buffy said innocently.

"We're trying to figure out Drusilla's next move," Anya blurted out after a brief period of silence. Nobody in the room wanted to worry Buffy with anything else tonight.

"And asking me never crossed your minds?" Spike asked, yet again feeling insulted.

"Did you not hear Willow when she said we didn't want to interrupt any . . . spell induced activities," Xander shot at Spike. Even though he'd convinced himself this whole ordeal was a spell, Xander still didn't feel all warm and fuzzy towards Spike.

"Yes, what is this spell Xander keeps referencing?" Giles asked as he polished his glasses.

"Well . . . you see . . .," Buffy started, looking around at all her friends feeling afraid of what they were going to say to her. How badly they were going to disapprove was not what she needed right now.

"Buffy and I are to—" Spike started to say but Buffy cut him off.

"Where's Dawn?!" Buffy asked, feeling the warmth of panic start to creep up on her.

"She's at Janice's," Willow answered quickly, wanting to get to the part where Spike confirms what she already suspected.

"No . . . Janice and her family are on vacation in Florida . . . ." Buffy said slowly, starting to feel more and more panicked.

"Well she left a note saying that's where she was," Anya said.

"Where's the note?" Buffy jumped up from the floor. She had this bad feeling in her gut that something was off.

"In the living room," Giles answered, getting that same feeling Buffy had.

Buffy ran down into the living room, her feet barely touching the ground she was moving so far. When she picked up the note she knew something was wrong.

"This isn't her handwriting," she stated in cold fear to the group who'd followed her down the stairs.

"You think . . . you think this could be . . . Dru?" Xander asked sheepishly.

"No . . . she wouldn't," Angel muttered.

"Are you mad?!" Spike yelled at Angel. "Do you even know the girl? Of _course_ she would. Come on Slayer, we'll find the little bit, I remember some places she used to . . . I know where she might be."

"Everyone grab weapons and your coats, we're going with you. The sun's coming up soon, Spike, you wont be able to assist for long," Giles said as he frantically grabbed the weapons they'd left in the living room from earlier and handed them out.

"How would she even get in?" Anya asked, she stood contemplating in place.

"That doesn't matter now," Buffy said harshly. "We're gonna have to split up. Spike and I will take some of her old hangouts. You guys search everyone abandoned building, dark alley, anywhere you can think of. Now." She grabbed Spike's hand and started rushing out the door. There was only one thing on her mind: save Dawn.

"This is like finding a needle in a haystack," Anya whispered to herself but Buffy still heard it.

"It doesn't matter. This is Dawn we're talking about. Anything it takes to find her," Buffy turned around to say to Anya, and all of them, before they all left.


	8. Chapter 8 NewEdited Version

**I took the original version of this chapter down because it was pointed out to me that I'd forgotten my initial storyline, that Buffy had been raped. Probably one of my biggest writing flaws is I tend to forget the start point once I've dove into a new plot. Hope you guys can forgive me, I'm going to do my best to not repeat. **

* * *

"Feels like we were just here," Buffy sighed as her and Spike walked passed some abandoned buildings near the Bronze. When they walked passed the alley she felt a cold shiver or remaining fear go through her.

They had already checked the cemetery, Spike's crypt, and at least three abandoned buildings Spike said she liked hiding in during the days. No trace of her so far. Not even the few vampires they had come across while looking had heard of her name.

"She wouldn't do anything to Dawn already would she?" Buffy asked, terrified to hear the answer. "I mean, what leverage would Dawn be to her if she . . . did something to her before we even knew?" She was rambling now, not even giving Spike a chance to answer her questions. Throughout the entire search so far she'd try to keep her mind panic free so she could think clearly, but now that it was starting to get late—or early rather—she couldn't keep the panic bottled in any more. "Shouldn't she have come to see you first any way? I mean I know you guys split but still she probably should have come to you first to get the weak spots on me, right? And when did she get in to town? She couldn't have come with Angel, he wouldn't have dared bring her here. How would she even know about Dawn?"

"Angel might have let it slip while he was there with her," Spike said, finally having the ability to squeeze something into her panic rant.

"Maybe on accident," Buffy said.

"Right, cause Angel could never do any harm," Spike muttered to himself.

"Ugh that's not what I meant! This isn't the time for 'jealous Spike', okay?" As she was talking she smacked right into Spike, who'd stopped walking right in front of her. "What is it?" She asked irritated.

"There's the little bit," Spike pointed to a group of 4 or 5 girls coming out of the Bronze.

"What? Where?" Buffy jumped in front of Spike to see. The moment she saw her she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Dawn. "Dawn! You're okay!"

"Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?" Dawn asked, confused by her sister's reaction.

"I thought that—wait," Buffy stopped and took into consideration where she was and what time it was, "what are you doing out so late?"

"Please don't be mad," Dawn begged, realizing there was probably no way of getting out of this. "I told Tara I was leaving."

"Tara wasn't at the house when the sp—" she stopped herself from saying spell in front of the other girls, "when I woke up. There was a note saying you were at Janice's though."

"That wasn't me then, I know you know she's in Florida for the week. That's what 'Janice' is written on the kitchen calendar," Dawn explained.

"Then who wrote it?" Buffy said more so thinking out loud than questioning Dawn.

"I don't know, wasn't me," Dawn shrugged.

"Hate to break up the sisterly love here, but we've got a bit of a problem," Spike interrupted.

"What is it?" Buffy asked.

"Sun's coming up, love."

"Right. Come on, Dawn, we'll talk more when we get home," Buffy said, reaching out for Dawn's hand.

"But all my stuff is at Molly's house," she complained and a shot brunette sanding beside her waved nervously, obviously she was Molly.

"You can get it later," Buffy insisted, urgent to get somewhere in doors for Spike.

"Or I can just get it now," Dawn protested.

Buffy was about to say something back but Spike pulled her aside for a private word.

"If she didn't write that note, then it probably means someone or thing got into the house and did it. If they're still in the house then it's probably not safe for her there," Spike explain reasonably. Buffy nodded and turned back to Dawn.

"Alright, when you get back to Molly's call Giles and have him get you. Go back to his place, our house is . . . uh . . . well we're having a party at Giles' all day. So go there," She said with the most serious tone, hoping it would settle in that this was important.

"I promise," Dawn nodded, letting Buffy know she understood. "Oh Buffy wait," Dawn grabbed her sister before they parted, "you might wanna put some pants on next time you go out in public." Dawn laughed nicely and left with her group of friends.

"If you go back to my place you wont have to," Spike chuckled.

"Spike," Buffy sighed and rolled her eyes, trying not to show how uncomfortable she'd suddenly become.

"Sorry, love, I wasn't thinking," Spike said, noticing Buffy fidgeting with her sleeves. He shrugged off his leather jacket and draped it around her shoulders, figuring it was the least he could do. "But we do need to stop by my place," he said more seriously.

"Why?" She hugged the jacket against her, feeling a little less exposed.

"Vampire needs, pet," he said flatly. He'd been fighting off the cravings for a while, but it was starting to get unbearable.

* * *

"Hello?" Giles said, answering his phone back at his apartment. Everyone but Buffy and Spike had stopped back there to try and come up with more places to find Dawn.

"Giles it's me, Dawn," Dawn's voice rang through the phone.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Giles was quick to jump into panic, causing everyone to look at him strangely.

"I'm fine. Buffy said to call you to come get me, she said our house isn't safe," she whispered the last part into the phone.

"Thank goodness," he sighed in relief that she was all right. "I'll be right there." He jotted down directions and they hung up.

"What's going on?" Willow asked.

"I'm going to pick up Dawn. Anya and Angel, could you go over to Buffy's and check it out? Dawn said she mentioned something about the house not being safe."

"We're on it," Angel confirmed.

"What do you want us to do?" Xander asked for himself and Willow.

"Wait here. If Buffy and Spike don't show up soon, try getting a hold of them," Giles directed.

"Okay," Willow said, trying to seem more excited than she was. Sitting and waiting wasn't exactly her favorite task.

* * *

"Let's make this fast," Buffy said as they walked into Spike's crypt.

"What's the rush, pet? The little bit is safe and all is well," he said cheerfully as he grabbed a packet of blood from his fridge and drank it.

"For now," Buffy said impatiently. "But there's something going on, which never means all is well." She walked over and sat on the cement block next to where he was standing.

"She's safe with Giles, no need to rush back to just sit and wait when we've got a bit of time to ourselves," he said relieved to have some time away from the scoobies.

"I need pants," she laughed tiredly as she looked down at her bare bruised legs. The bruised were fading but the memory still made her flinch back from the sight.

"Hey, you alright?" Spike sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He already knew the answer, but he figured this was one of those topics he should be extremely careful around.

"Oh, uhm, yeah. I'm—I'm just tired." She leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder. She wasn't completely lying, ever since they found Dawn she finally started feeling tired enough to sleep.

Spike took Buffy's hands and pulled her up with him when he stood up. He cupped the back of her neck and pulled her in to a short sweet kiss. "Let's go to bed then."

"Spike, I—I don't know . . .," the was a little shake in Buffy's voice. Early when face with this she was able to keep her head in the present and focus just on Spike, but now she was so tired that she couldn't pushed Emerald's face out of her head.

"Love, no not like that," Spike said comfortingly as he brushed away a fleeing tear from her eyes. "I meant you should get some sleep. Dawn's safe, and nothing is gonna hurt you while I'm around, you should get some sleep, give your mind a rest."

"Thank you," Buffy said with a small smile, grateful that he understood.

"Anything for you, pet," Spike took her hand and led her downstairs to where his bed was. "It'll be like our own little sleep over slumber party thing you girls do," Spike laughed, trying to lighten the mood again. "Maybe when you wake up we'll have a pillow fight and paint each others nails."

Buffy laughed as she took off her shoes and climbed into Spike's bed. "Or we could save Sunnydale," she yawned.

"Do they even still do that?" Spike joked, pulling Buffy into his arms.

"I hear its coming back into style." Using all the energy she had left to laugh lightly at their conversation, Buffy rested her head on Spike's chest and felt herself beginning to drift off. Her last few thoughts before slipping off into a peaceful sleep were that she knew, one day, she'd have to talk about what happened to her in order to really get over it rather than just blocking it out. Knowing that it was a demon and some part of a bigger plan both helped and hurt the wound it left in her memory. Dusting the guy who did it definitely helped a little bit, but one day when she figured out and solved this Drusilla thing, she would have to confront it.

* * *

"What kind of demon is that?" Angel whispered to Anya. They were staked out in the bushes to the side of Buffy's house, watching a very large, vibrant orange, and horned demon pillage in and out of Buffy's house. The demon would go in, and then 5 minutes later, he'd come back out and run around the house once. Then repeat.

"Not one I've ever seen before," Anya admitted.

"Any idea what it's doing?" In all his year, Angel had never seen a demon do anything like this.

"Not a clue, should we go ask it?" Anya asked innocently.

"Probably not. Let's go back to Giles' and find out what this thing is."

* * *

Spike had been watching Buffy sleep for a couple hours, brushing her hair with his fingers softly and making sure she was okay. He had just about fallen sleep too when something above slammed a door and started clunking around.

Both Spike and Buffy jumped awake from the sound.

"Spike?!" The harsh, gravely voice of the intruder called out. "I've got a message you're really going to want to hear!"

"Stay here," Spike whispered to Buffy. He gave her a quick kiss and he slid out of bed and cautiously walked up the stairs.

Standing close to the front door was a flaming red demon with three eyes. Spike stepped closer to him slowly and realized this was no stranger visiting him.

"Charles?" He wasn't completely sure it was him, but he had the same eyes and voice as one of his old vamp friends.

"That's my name. Got mixed up with some witchcraft not long ago and they turned me into this," he explained, not seeming to glum about it.

"I haven't seen you since—"

"You and Drusilla split town," Charles finished. "That's actually what I'm hear to talk to you about."

"Alright," Spike said suspiciously.

"She's found a way to temporarily open the hellmouth," Charles said briefly.

"Who hasn't," Spike scoffed.

"That's not even the best part." Charles was excited to tell the next part, he'd been holding it in since he'd talked to Drusilla two days ago.

"Well go on," Spike encouraged.

"She also found a way to end the Slayer train," he said, still not giving the entire secret away.

"Oh yeah?" Spike wasn't exactly keen on the idea of killing the slayer any more; he wanted the exact opposite of that. Now more than anything Spike lived to keep Buffy alive. Charles couldn't know that though.

"Rumor has it that if the Slayer gets thrown in the hellmouth alive, it stops the power from going to the next potential slayer." Charles was practically bouncing up and down with excitement. "Dru wants your help capturing Buffy."

"Great plan, except Buffy isn't the current Slayer, she died. Remember?" Spike wasn't happy at all about this plan, and he would not help Dru at all, but he played along anyway. It was a method of getting information.

"It doesn't matter. As long as a girl with active slayer powers is tossed in, it'll work!"

Buffy, who was listening from below, felt her heart stop cold when she heard the plan.

"As much as I'd love to help, we tried to get the slayer before, remember? What's so different about now?" Spike was trying his best to stay in character with Charles, but he found it painfully hard to talk about killing Buffy.

"She's already assembled an army of demons and vampires against the slayer! They are all on the way now; it shouldn't take more than two days! She sent a few ahead to spook the slayer, get in her head and weaken her." Charles was confused about Spike's seemingly unresponsive reaction. "What's wrong? We're going to end the Slayer, you should be jumping with joy."

"Not much of the jumping type, mate," Spike responded. Hard as it was, he put on a decent excited face and Charles bought it.

"She's going to come see you once she gets in town, see what you can find out about the Slayer before then." They both nodded to each other and then Charles left.


End file.
